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‘killed’. It made him a little sad. When he’d first met her, she would’ve been more skittish, like Vic. But Eve had changed. He had too, actually. Experiencing evil at such close range did that.
    ‘I’ve been telling Jess that there aren’t any mountain lions on Long Island,’ Eve continued. ‘Or anywhere within a thousand miles.’
    ‘And I’ve been telling Eve that global weather changes have caused weird animal migration patterns,’ Jess said. Luke raised his eyebrows. He was surprised to hear such a scientific theory coming from Jess. ‘I’m not stupid,’ she informed him, noting his reaction. ‘And besides, my brother likes to watch the Discovery Channel.’
    ‘Much as I’d like to see you with a dagger strapped to your thigh – you too, Eve,’ he added with a wink, ‘I’m sure the police and animal control will be able to handle this solo.’
    ‘So you don’t think this is anything abnormal?’ Eve asked. ‘I mean, of course it’s abnormal, but is it extreme abnormal?’
    ‘I don’t think we have to go there,’ Luke answered.
    ‘Please let’s not go there,’ Jess added.
    ‘Horrible things happen sometimes,’ Luke went on. ‘It’s life. Normal, hugely sucky, life.’ He looped one arm around Jess’s shoulders and one around Eve’s waist. ‘How about you two smokin’ babes let me buy you an ice cream?’
    ‘Let’s hope that’s not your A game, player,’ Eve joked.
    ‘Is that a “yes”?’ Luke asked.
    Eve gave a queenly nod. ‘Yes, you may buy us ice cream. You may also procure chairs for us.’
    Luke looked around the crowded room, spotted a couple of free chairs and carried them over to his table. ‘My ladies,’ he said to Eve and Jess.
    ‘We have the new boy well trained, don’t we?’ Jess asked as they all sat down with their friends.
    ‘You two can train me if you want to,’ Dave said. ‘I’m open to most types of discipline.’
    ‘How much longer am I going to be the new boy?’ Luke asked.
    ‘Until we have another one,’ Vic told him. ‘You could still be the new boy a year from now.’
    Phoebe put Luke’s glass down, the frosty silver shaker next to it. ‘I’ll be back for your orders in a few, girls,’ she told Eve and Jess. ‘The place is, well – look around.’ Luke didn’t think he’d ever seen the café socrowded, even in the summer, with all the tourists.
    ‘OK, I started looking for more info about animals around here. This site says that foxes and big birds – the hawk kind, not the yellow googly-eyed kind with a person inside – are the only real predators in the Hamptons.’ Jess fiddled with her BlackBerry. ‘I can take a fox or a bird barehanded, although it might mess up my manicure.’
    Another one of those silences fell across the table. Eve quickly broke it. She pressed one hand over her heart. ‘You’re not suggesting Big Bird has a person inside, are you?’
    Nice save , Luke thought as their friends broke into relieved laughter. The group clearly wanted a break from thinking about wild animals. And what a wild animal had done to Kyle.
    ‘I used to be afraid of Big Bird,’ James admitted. ‘He was just so–’
    ‘Big?’ Vic offered.
    ‘Yellow,’ James said.
    ‘What does that even mean?’ Eve asked. ‘Were you afraid of other yellow things?’
    ‘Rubber duckies? Bananas?’ Jess suggested.
    ‘Forget it, OK? Just forget it. Never should have brought it up,’ James told them, clearly realizing thatthe group could spend the next half-hour at least analysing his yellow phobia. ‘Luke, you saw Kyle after school yesterday, right?’
    ‘At football practice, yeah,’ Luke answered. He’d been asked the same question about five times already.
    ‘Did he seem weird or anything?’ James asked.
    Luke shook his head. ‘Same as always. Same killer tackle, same bad jokes, same …’
    Jess’s phone rang. She rolled her eyes as she checked to see who it was. ‘Mom,’ she mouthed to Eve, then answered. ‘I have